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Another 6 free plug-ins you can’t live without.

The best free plug-ins for your DAW…Part 2

We’re back again with yet another 6 free plug-ins you’d be mad to miss.

1. Softube – Saturation.

The Softube Saturation Knob is a great plugin for adding a bit of dirt to tracks. Used subtly, it can add a bit of warmth to a sound and help glue busses together. Pushed to the extreme it goes into full-on distortion. It has 3 modes of operation that are very useful.

2. Boz – Width

Boz Digital Labs Width has to do with width as the name suggests. But it’s not a stereo widener. Width actually reduces the stereo width, which can sometimes be exactly what you need. With the knob fully to the right, the audio signal is normal and the plugin isn’t doing anything. Moving to the left narrows the stereo width until you reach the center position which is fully mono. Move the knob to the left past 12 o’clock and you reverse the Left and Right channels. Right is now Left and vice versa. With the knob fully to the left, the signal is at its normal stereo width, but the left and right channels have been swapped. There are some great automation effects to be had with this!

6. Acustica Audio – TAN

Acustica TAN is an excellent sounding VCA compressor, but it’s not an SSL clone.

If you’re unfamiliar with Acustica Audio, they create their plugins by taking impulse responses of a piece of hardware at all available settings. Along with the usual compressor controls, there is SHMOD which changes the shape of the attack. Turn SHMOD up to add more smack to the sound. TAN also has a preamp simulation for a slightly different flavour, removing some of the highs and adding more body to the low end. Use TAN it to add glue to your tracks (great on busses), or use it to make your drum bus pump.